2003-09-24

Just a fish

I must have been underwater for well over an hour today. Snorkeling is fun! The fish were everywhere... all around me. At one point I was in a school of 150 - 200 fish. So amazing. Then I heard the dolphins. I poked my head out of the water and there they were. Too far out to get very close but I went in their direction. On the way I met a new fish friend that insisted on following me around. All in all a great day in the water.

It was nice to be "accepted" and not feared. I'm discovering that most fish are perfectly content to swim very near to humans. Today I was just another member of the ocean community... if only for a few moments.

Small

I sat by the ocean tonight and watched the sun go down and then the stars as they opened up out of the darkening sky. No one else around. I had it all to myself.

Something about these moments that remind me about my insignificance. Just one organism on a small planet in a solar system in something much larger. It's easy in this setting to realize my own insignificance as well as my importance.

There's something very comforting in accepting that I am one of billions. Just one little human.